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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Bye.
welcome to the podcast my name is marta and today i'm joined by julka the biggest us fan i know she's gonna spill all about her time in the states and maybe drop some tips if you're thinking about going to hello julka how are you hello i'm good how are you good thank you please tell us all about your trip i'm so curious so i went to the usa last year and i visited four states so california utah nevada and arizona
Wow, many places.
And what about the documents? So when you want to go to the United States, you need a passport that has to be valid for at least six months beyond your trip. And you need ESTA.
Chapter 2: What essential documents do I need to travel to the USA?
And what is ESTA? So ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization. And this document allows you to enter the United States. And is it difficult to get such a document?
No.
No, it's actually not difficult. You have to fill in the form on the official website of the Department of Homeland Security. You have to provide some personal information and some details about your trip and you have to answer some questions and then pay $40 and ESTA is valid for two years so then you can enter the United States but all depends on the
custom and border protection officer who has the final decision. And can everyone apply for ESTA? So not everyone. If you want to spend more time in the United States than 90 days, you need visa. And for example, if you traveled to Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Somalia after 2011, then you also have to apply for visa.
And how long can you stay in the US having this document?
So as I said, with ESTA up to 90 days and with visa more than 90 days. Okay, so do I understand you correctly that ESTA is valid for 90 days? You can stay in the United States for 90 days with ESTA, but ESTA is valid for two years. So I can, for example, go on two trips the same year. So I have two years. to use this ESTA.
And you said that the final decision is up to the border officer. So what questions did the border officer can ask?
The officer can ask you about the purpose of your visit, length of the stay and some other details, for example, what's your occupation, But for example, in my case, custom and border officer did not ask me any questions. He just scanned my fingerprints and then I could just go. He let me go.
And did you travel with other people? Maybe you know if somebody tried to lie to the border officer?
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Chapter 3: How does the ESTA application process work?
You can be was permanently denied entry to the United States. So it's better to answer all the questions truthfully. And when it comes to my trip, some people had some problems with this conversation with the border officer, but it was because, for example, they did not speak English. But this is a an interesting fact that they cannot deny your entry if you don't speak English.
So you can ask someone from the queue to help you with translating. And if there is no such person, they have to just provide an interpreter. That's very good.
I also heard about it. And maybe tell us How long does the questioning take? Because you said that you were not asked any questions. Yes, that's right.
But approximately, how long can it take? It can take from a few minutes even to several hours, if possible. The officer has more questions. For example, they can be interested how you got the money for the trip. For example, if you don't have a job right now, they might ask you some extra questions. So it might take longer time. But as I said, they did not ask me any questions.
So it took just like three minutes. They checked my passports, then they scanned my fingerprints and I was ready to go.
I also heard that they can ask you to show them your phone and scroll through the social media. Can you confirm? Yes, it is possible. Yeah, that can happen. That can happen. But it did not happen to you? Yes, I was fortunate. And what about some things that people should remember before visiting the US? I mean, you know, things that...
Like taxes not included in the shop prices and some stuff like that.
Yes. Remember that when you go to a shop and when you look at the prices next to the products, these are not final prices. So when you go to the checkout, they include tax. So remember that you will always pay more at the checkout. So this was quite surprising. And something that might be overlooked is that there are different sockets. So you have to be prepared.
You have to buy a converter or something that will help you to use their sockets. And also voltage is lower. So some devices might not work properly. And if you want to bring your hair dryer with you, for example, then you need a voltage converter.
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Chapter 4: What should I know about customs and border control in the USA?
Okay.
So it was a little adventure for me.
But did you get well on with people? Do you have friends from this trip?
Yes, this is the biggest surprise. I actually, I'm in touch with people from the trip. And we meet like once a month. So that's quite a lot. And I, I really like them. And it was a beautiful adventure and just the best trip I've ever gone on.
I'm glad to hear that. So maybe if we're talking about such optimistic things, let's talk about food since we all love food and I'm so hungry right now. Luka, tell me, how does the tipping culture work in the United States? Because it is so different than in Poland. But how does it actually look like?
So a standard tip for a good service in a restaurant is about 15%, 20%, sometimes even 25%. And there are different ways of leaving the tip. So, for example, you can... there's a funny way of how they ask for the tips. So they look at you and say, I have one more question and they point to the screen and you can see different amounts of money.
So for example, 10%, 18%, 20, 25 and two options that I use the most often. So no tip or a custom tip. So what can I recommend when it comes to tipping? So leave the tip at the restaurant when they serve you the dish and when the service is good. And when you, for example, buy a bottle of water only. I didn't leave the tip, to be honest.
And what about some ridiculous places where you can get tipped? So my friend told me that I think in Walmart, self-checkout wanted a tip. So this was just ridiculous. Just ridiculous. Yes. And also, how can we give the tip? Maybe let's focus on that in details. For example, in restaurants, you can select the tip on the screen.
But for example, in bars and in some restaurants, they take your card. They don't steal it, they just take it and return. Maybe in some restaurants they do. I'm kidding. So they take your card, they pay for the meal and then they give it back and you get a receipt. And on the receipt, you see how much the food costs and how much you want to tip.
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